New York Times columnist David Brooks is given to periodic meditations triggered by the political environment: recently, he mused at some length over "what moderates believe.”New York Times columnist David Brooks is given to periodic meditations triggered by the political environment: recently, he mused at some length over "what moderates believe.”I’m not ready to endorse Brooks’ entire definition, which is a bit too formulaic and pietistic for my tastes, but I do think that one sentence describes the fundamental difference between “wingers” and moderates:Moderation is not an ideology: it’s a way of coping with the complexity of the world.I would probably phrase this differently, but I agree that moderation is an approach, an attitude, an openness to complexity rather than a set of rigid beliefs. A moderate is someone who recognizes the increasing ambiguities of modern life, someone who can make peace with a world where there is less black and white and more shades of gray without feeling disoriented or panicky.Moderates use terms like “it depends” and “it’s more complicated than that.”
Moderates reject justifications for the use of violence in service of ideology: they recognize that whether it is the Nazis or the AntiFa who oppose them, a resort to the use of force places zealots outside the norms of acceptable political discourse, undermining both the rule of law and fundamental American principles.
The True Believers of both the Right and Left are the enemies of functioning government. These are the judgmental, "my way or the highway” purists who prefer losing to taking half a loaf, who don’t understand that sustainable progress is almost always incremental, who have learned nothing from the history of revolutions.The GOP has pretty much rid itself of its moderates-it has actually made “moderate” a dirty word - and the party’s current inability to govern despite controlling both houses of Congress and the Presidency is a direct result of its radicalization. Once-thoughtful elected officials now pander to the party’s rabid base in order to avoid being primaried-and it’s hard not to wonder if and when they’ll regret trading their souls and the tattered remnants of their integrity for another term in office.For their part, the Democratic Party’s purists are responsible for that party’s recurring "circular firing squads.” Here in Indiana, several have announced that they won’t support incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly because he is "insufficiently progressive." Their defection is likely to give Indiana a Republican zealot in his place - hardly an improvement, but evidently satisfying to those for whom ideological purity is more important than retaking the Senate. For the record, I am considerably more progressive than Donnelly, but he will vote against the upcoming attempts to eviscerate the social safety net in order to give huge tax cuts to the 1%, and every Republican running to replace him will enthusiastically vote for those measures. Should the Democrats retake the Senate (something they probably cannot do if Donnelly loses), Donnelly will also be a vote to replace Mitch McConnell-that alone is reason enough to support him. Politics has been called "the art of the possible." Moderates acknowledge that reality, and are willing to take something less than perfection if that "something less” is an improvement over the alternative.Come to think of it, perhaps “moderate” simply means "adult."

Read more: The Word by Sheila

Board trustee Claudia Cazares said the board “cannot and will not” ask Ashjian to step down, and does not support censorship.

Trustee Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas spoke out for the first time about Ashjian’s remarks.
“I firmly believe in love and equality. I don’t believe we can make someone gay by teaching them sex education or want to change their gender, for that matter."

Fresno Unified employees stand to speak out re: Ashjian's LGBT remarks. "We stand for acceptance of all students." pic.twitter.com/7s4a8Q78We

— Mackenzie Mays (@MackenzieMays) September 14, 2017

During public comments, approximately 30 administrators, teachers and staff from Fresno Unified stood at the Fresno Unified School District board meeting, the following statement was read to the board:

Good Evening President Ashjian, Board Trustees, and Supt. Nelson

We are here tonight as site & central office leaders - united in standing for what’s most important inside and outside this Board room – our 74,000 students. 

We are one district and one community. We stand behind our goals and vision of success for each and every student we are honored to serve.

We believe in respect, inclusiveness, diversity of thought, joy and in the importance of leading our district with compassion and confidence.

We stand for adherence to Board meeting protocols.

We stand for treating all employees, community, and students at the Dias with dignity and respect.

We stand for the acceptance of all students and staff independent of their background, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration status, socio-economic status, or disability.

We stand for students being at the heart of all behaviors, actions and decisions.

We stand for providing our schools with leadership, stability, and direction on a daily basis to keep student achievement as our primary focus.

Our children are counting on us for civility, inclusiveness and dedication of every moment to their well-being and continued progress.   

We love this district and give our hearts and souls because we believe in Fresno Unified – And we expect that our Board, our staff, and our community will continue to move the district forward in a positive, collaborative and respectful path on behalf of all our diverse students.

Read more: Fresno Unified employees read statement in support of all students

This article has been updated

On August 21st a group of pastors submitted a properly completed agenda item request form. Our community was informed that it would be placed on the September 13th agenda. On September 8th the agenda was posted, missing this agenda item. After repeated calls and emails, David Chavez, Special Assistant to the Superintendent, informed us they will not be adding the agenda item on the September agenda. This is in direct conflict with the spirit of inclusion and working together with the LGBT community that Mr Nelson spoke about only last month. We must hold the school board and superintendent accountable for their role in enabling Brooke Ashjian to continue to sit in his position of power and refuse to apologize or take back his harmful words.

A follow up by Mr Chavez informed us that the agenda item will be added to the October meeting.

We encourage you to attend this upcoming school board meeting on Wednesday, September 13th at 5:30pm and voice your concern about this.

During the conversation, we were also informed that the LGBT community would be standing with Brooke Ashjian and the matter is behind us, this is incorrect. No agreement has been reached to back Mr Ashjian, but we are always willing to do whatever it takes to keep children and our community members safe. It is our desire to continue dialog between the LGBT community and Fresno Unified School District.

As consumers, we typically purchase products without putting any thought into where it is that we are spending our hard-earned money. Although, there are consumers, possibly very few, who take the time to consider the motives a business stands for. How often do we as consumers stop to research the companies and businesses that we essentially support in terms of who and what do these companies support in the political and or religious sense? Regardless if consumers want to divert away from politics when it comes to where they spend their money, there is no way around it, even if it is from buying a chicken sandwich and some waffle fries.

Dating back to 1946, the traditional family values have been implemented when S. Truett Cathy founded the chain. Throughout his career, he has verbalized his religious stance (even giving employees Sunday off), through his business, writing six books and merely through donating money to anti-gay organizations. The current CEO is eldest son, Dan. Like his father, he too carries on the traditional family values within the business and has been known for causing controversy through his rhetoric and actions in relations to the LGBTQ community. The political debacle doesn’t necessarily start back to when the company was founded by S. Truett Cathy in 1963. A year before his passing, his son, Dan Cathy became CEO of the family business. Thus, the religious and familial values that the Cathy family uphold came to fruition when same sex marriage was on the ballot to become legalized in 2012. Dan Cathy has spoken out against same-sex marriage, as it does not follow the traditional family values in this country.

I understand that people are entitled to their own personal beliefs and implement them in the work that they do. It becomes unacceptable when those beliefs begin to hatefully target minority groups because it goes against what they “believe” is an abomination. By doing so, the Chik-Fil-A franchise has and continues to donate large sums of money to anti-gay organizations. As there have been many instances where the franchise has spoken out about their religious beliefs and stance on the LGBTQ community in regards to same-sex marriage, it’s important for consumers to educate themselves on the franchise beyond their menu and to fully be aware of what other services they provide to people other than at the register.

Over the years, records have shown the various anti-gay organizations that they have donated money to such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, WinShape (founded by Truett and his wife) and Exodus International (prior to its shut down in 2013, it is served the purpose of helping people rid of their homosexual desires). It is apparent that their money speaks louder than what their website claims what values are implemented into their franchise.

In an interview, back in 2012, Dan Cathy stated that the family owned business does not have an anti-gay policy against the community or anyone. Although, over the course of time and the heated debate of the franchise’s stance on gay marriage, Cathy’s rhetoric is inconsistent and it is evident through his actions that they are not just a business that sells chicken. If you stumble upon their website, it is evident that they do share their love of selling chicken and spreading the word of how much familial and religious ideals are implemented into its franchise. What makes the Cathy family or loyal customers of Chik-Fil-A assume that LGBTQ families don’t share the same values, whether they be in relations to both family and religion?

This issue that the LGBTQ community continues to endure with this franchise (as there are many more harmful businesses to the community), it cannot be stressed enough on how residents of the Central Valley and citizens of this country who identify with the LGBTQ community, along with allies, (of about 2,000 locations, 3 are in the Central Valley) need to become more informed of how much damage this franchise continues to cause people of this community. It is in plain sight of what harm that they are inflicting upon the LGBTQ community. It doesn’t take much time for someone to check out their website and see how much of their faith they implement into the franchise, but to surpass all the “good” displayed on the site, it is accessible to see how the franchise supports programs that are detrimental to the LGBTQ community. Sending a simple message by simply not supporting this franchise can and will go a long way, but only if people are willing to look way past the sauce. Boycotting this franchise, even here in the Central Valley can and will go a long way for the beneficiary of the LGBTQ community.

Via The Fresno Bee, we've learned that Trustees Cal Johnson and Valerie Davis said Monday they would support removing Brooke Ashjian as board president. Trustee Christopher De La Cerda previously called for his resignation and is assumed to be a yes vote as well.

That means three trustees have not yet taken a position. They are: Trustees This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. At least one will need to vote "yes" for the president position to be taken away from Trustee Ashjian.

Please take a moment to contact them via email (above), letter 2309 Tulare Street, Fresno, CA, 93721to and/or phone calls: (559) 457-3727. They need to hear from our community!

Salary: Based on Experience

Type: Temporary Full-Time

Reports to: Program Director/Deputy Executive Director

Start: As soon as possible

Closing date of this position: Open until filled

Position Overview:

Equality California is seeking an experienced and motivated full-time Field Organizer to lead our healthcare organizing and execute our 2017 voter registration and civic engagement program in the Central Valley (Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield). The Field Organizer will help lead EQCA’s community organizing efforts on the ground in the region(s) assigned, build relationships with LGBTQ and allied organizations, recruit volunteers and support a variety of events including LGBTQ Prides, voter registration drives, and various educational/healthcare events. This position is temporary and will run through December.

Responsibilities:

This is a remotely supervised organizing position. In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

Break big goals into smaller ones, learn to build a program to accomplish them, develop timelines and benchmarks, and produce reports to inform the EQCA team of your progress.
Spearhead and organize education programs and pride parade contingents at LGBT pride parades and festivals in the region.
Help organize and support various actions including- town halls, rallies, canvasses and voter registration drives.
Engage in significant volunteer recruiting and community mobilization to ensure sizable community participation in pride parades, rallies, marches, town halls, and to staff pride education booths.
Participate in and lead program tactics such as one-on-one meetings and coalition building, canvassing, and voter registration drives.
Develop key relationships with LGBT, LGBT allied, progressive, political, labor, immigration, business, student organizations, healthcare advocates, and religious congregations to build a base of support within communities.
Participate in message and strategy briefings and report daily and weekly progress to goals.
Manage time-sheets and other administrative materials per deadlines assigned.
Other duties and responsibilities as necessary.

Read more: EQCA hiring central valley organizer

A group of 13 pastors read a press release today, condemning Fresno Unified School District President Brooke Ashjian's recent statement. The release states:

THE COALITION STANDS IN OPPOSITION TO THE REMARKS AND VIEWPOINTS OF MR. ASHJIAN AND DEMAND THAT HE BE CENSURED OR REMOVED AS SCHOOOL BOARD PRESIDENT.

For Immediate Release:

We, as representatives of many faith communities, are in shock by the remarks that President Ashjian read into the official minutes of last Wednesday’s School Board meeting. It is clear from his remarks that he has nothing but contempt for the LGBTQ community—especially the most vulnerable, some who happen to be LGBTQ children.

To compare the LGBTQ community to mass murderers (Ottoman Turks) is reprehensible. His remarks have done serious damage to the Board. Many of our communities of faith have LGBTQ members, some who are even Armenian. His remarks aimed at vilifying and dehumanizing those who sought to hold him accountable for his prejudicial words concerning the LGBTQ community cannot be ignored or tolerated.

We as faith leaders demand that at the MINIMUM the Board publicly censure Mr. Ashjian and PREFERABLY remove him from the presidency of the Board. Your inactions or actions will either condone his comments, sending a chilling message to the students of the district that it is OK to hate, or they will affirm the diversity and beauty of all our children regardless of their ancestry or sexual orientation.

Read more: Fresno faith leaders demand removal of Brooke Ashjian

In the most recent statements by Brooke Ashjian, the current president of the board for Fresno Unified School District, he equated the movement for the rights and well-being of the LGBT community to the actions of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, when they massacred over a million Armenian people.

The Armenian community is an important aspect of the diverse community of Fresno and the central valley. Recognition for the Armenian Genocide is an important movement, of itself. Much as other communities have deep historical scars from institutional and systematic oppression, the people of Armenia faced massacre, exile, and diaspora. They arrived in America seeking freedom from discrimination and from oppression.

Here in Fresno, the Armenian community has established itself in the form of churches and annual events such as the Blessing of the Grapes which has a history of over a century. Local businesses such as Armenian bakeries enrich the cultural landscape of this city.  At my own middle school, there was an Armenian club. It is notably common to meet people with last names like Ashjian, Hakopyan, Agbashian, Andresian … Or my own, Mardikian.

I am the grand-daughter of the late superior court judge Robert Z. Mardikian, a prominent contemporary figure in Fresno’s Armenian community. I am also a lesbian. I disagree wholeheartedly with Brooke Ashjian’s message.

The Armenian community and the LGBT community have a great deal in common. To be LGBT does not mean that one belongs to a specific nationality, ethnicity, or race – that is an important difference. Like myself, a person can be of both groups. From my vantage point, I can see that the histories of the international LGBT population and the diasporic Armenian population have several important similarities. Just as the Armenian population has been subjected to atrocities at the hand of a dominant social group, so have various populations of LGBT people around the world. In Germany during the Holocaust gay men were placed in concentration camps alongside Jewish people and other marginalized groups such as the Romani people. In a number of countries around the world today being homosexual or transgender is punishable by death, and in nearly every country our population experiences a level of oppression, suppression, and marginalization. As we speak, LGBT people are being detained and tortured in Chechnya.

Here in California, where we are perceived as having a peculiar amount of power, it was only quite recently that conversion “therapy” was made illegal – despite being near unanimously denounced by every professional psychiatric and psychological association. Parents are still able to remove their children from their lives and send them to various institutions throughout the country to be systematically abused into renouncing an inherent part of themselves. More commonly, it is still legal to physically, spiritually, and emotionally abuse LGBT children at home. It is legal to ostracize someone for being LGBT in several spheres – at home, at church, and in private schools. I won’t speak of legal philosophy, and I don’t advocate applying legislative intervention to churches. That will not be my point here.

My point in mentioning that is that our population, the LGBT population, is not a group that is in institutional power. Much like the Armenian population in 1915, though to a different degree and in a different way, we are a group at the mercy of institutional power. We can wage no wars, we have no army – our recourse is through the proper channels of the judicial system and through advocacy utilizing our fundamental rights as Americans. (Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press) Armenians did not have that. It would’ve been a very different history if the Armenian population had the right to self-advocate as the LGBT community does.

Read more: A Response to Brooke Ashjian Regarding the Armenian and LGBT Communities

1. Brooke Ashjian is president of the Fresno Unified School District Board